


Draco Malfoy: Farmer

by ComeOnThrillMe



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Animals, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, M/M, farm life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:21:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25364554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ComeOnThrillMe/pseuds/ComeOnThrillMe
Summary: Excerpt: Draco Malfoy sat in his cozy (cramped) kitchen, nursing a cup of hot tea, and looking out his window towards the rolling lush green English countryside. The sun had yet to fully rise and the smell of morning was only beginning to creep into his cottage.Draco could look in any direction from his home and see no one and nothing. His nearest neighbor wasn’t for miles. It was simply him, his cows, his horses, and his sheep. No people. Just how he liked it.Two years after his release from Azkaban and Draco Malfoy owns a muggle farm in the Lake District. His life is comfortable until Harry Potter comes to find him.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 46
Kudos: 216





	1. Billy

**Author's Note:**

> This story is finished and I'll be posting chapters periodically! Kudos and comments always welcome! 
> 
> Side note: This is rated 'Teen', but does have strong language at times. Just a heads up!

Draco Malfoy sat in his cozy (cramped) kitchen, nursing a cup of hot tea, and looking out his window towards the rolling lush green English countryside. The sun had yet to fully rise and the smell of morning was only beginning to creep into his cottage.

Draco could look in any direction from his home and see no one and nothing. His nearest neighbor wasn’t for miles. It was simply him, his cows, his horses, and his sheep. No people. Just how he liked it.

He tried not to dwell on the past, but for some reason, it’s all he could think of this morning. He had awoken from a particularly vivid dream last night that involved fire, a hand, and a broom. And just like that, memories came flooding back to him.

It was exactly one month after the war. Draco Malfoy was on trial for his involvement with the death eaters during the war and he was fully prepared to accept his fate. He was in a terrible place mentally, and he secretly hoped for the Dementors Kiss – rather than just a life-long stay in Azkaban.

But the Kiss didn’t come. Instead, he was freed. No consequences. No stipulations. Freed.

He never did learn why…part of him figured a certain ‘Hero’ might have had something to do with it, but knew those thoughts were dangerous. Instead, he just simply let it go.

He returned to the Manor and found it empty. His father was sentenced to Azkaban and even though his mother too was freed, she couldn’t handle it. She drove herself mad with worry over her husband and found herself put away in St. Mungo’s. Draco was alone. And he quickly found out that the Manor was the _last_ place he wanted to be.

He looked around at the grand home. He looked at his bedroom, at the dining room, at the study and the library. He went into the garden and gave it one final look. Then it was decided. He would leave.

By this point, the Prophet was already running scathing editorials on the Malfoy family. Speculation surrounding their freedom and why Lucius wasn’t killed on site mounted and it was all becoming too much.

But honestly, it didn’t matter what the Prophet said, Draco Malfoy didn’t deserve to be in the wizarding world anyway. He deserved Azkaban, he deserved death. And he knew that.

He had done terrible things. He didn’t deserve the Manor, his family fortunes, or even a life. He had to leave. And as much as he detested muggles as a child, he knew they couldn’t be all that bad. Anything had to be better than living in the wizarding world for another minute.

He sprinted around the Manor and began to pack a bag, but suddenly stopped himself. He didn’t need these _things._ Dress robes, satin scarves, leather boots. Pointless.

He left them all behind.

He made one final stop at his family’s secret vault in the cellar of Malfoy Manor. He took out the money and held it in his hands, studying it. He knew he needed to convert it to muggle currency and didn’t really know how much it would be – but whatever it was, it would have to be enough.

He placed a glamour on himself, went to Gringotts, and exchanged the money.

He stood outside the wizarding bank and looked around. The city was still struggling, even a month after the war. Diagon Alley was a shell of what it once was, but it was trying. Many businesses were beginning to re-open. Several being opened by new owners, since the originals either died during the war or simply were too afraid to come back. The rest of the world seemed as if it was trying to move on; Draco thought it best if he tried too.

Just, not here…

Draco didn’t know where he wanted to go exactly, but he knew he wanted it to look _nothing_ like the life he knew before. He pictured it in his head. A small home, land, and far _far_ away.

Something…simple.

He closed his eyes and allowed his body to apparate to wherever it was taking him.

That’s how he landed in front of his current cottage. He remembers being dressed in dark pants, a button-up navy-blue shirt, and the most worn-out looking shoes he owned. This was as dressed down as Draco Malfoy got in those days. He carried nothing but some muggle money in his left pocket, and his wand in his back.

He marched up to the cottage and found it still inhabited by a much older muggle gentlemen who took pity on Draco. Draco explained that he had left his family and was looking for a fresh start. The man explained that his wife had recently died, and he was trying to retire to France and live his remaining days with his grandchildren. Draco offered him all the money he had. The man smiled, and that was it.

Draco remembers seeing the cottage for the first time and looking over its overgrown greenery climbing up the sides. The ten or so sheep in the field, and the one or two cows out in the field grazing about. Draco had never really been one for animals, but now found himself the owner of several.

The first night after the man left, Draco cried. He cried for hours. He cried through the night. He looked around at his cottage and for a moment panicked. He was Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin Prince. He came from one of the most well-respected pureblood families in history. He shouldn’t be in this shitty cottage in some unknown muggle village.

But he quickly realized, that was all in the past. Looking around, this is what he wanted. Because this is what he deserved. The next morning, he placed his wand in a drawer and never used it again. He vowed for no more magic – only keeping the wand at all in case of emergencies.

So, that was it. Two years after the war and Draco Malfoy now lived among livestock in the English countryside in a muggle village in the Lake District. No magic, very little money, and even less people.

Draco finished his tea and placed the cup in the sink. He rinsed it out, cleaned it, and placed it on the drying rack with the rest of his dishes – one plate, one fork, and two glasses (one for water, and one for tea). He dried his hands and began to put his boots on.

He didn’t own much anymore. A few flannel shirts for the winter, some long-sleeve but airy shirts for the summer, two pairs of boots (both made for working in the fields, one when wet and one when dry), a couple of heavy wool sweaters, and a few pairs of pants. He always thought about buying more because if there was one thing about living as a muggle he hated, it was laundry. But he never really brought himself to do it. He only really needed clean clothes when he went into town for supplies, and that was only every couple of weeks or so.

Draco finished putting on his boots and stepped outside. He looked around at the fields. His fields. And quickly set to work. Behind the cottage was a small barn where he kept most of his supplies and he started in that direction. Today’s objective was to cut the grass in that god-forsaken north eastern side that just wouldn’t stop growing. As much as it bothered him, it was also quite easily his favorite place on his land. It sat right on the water and he could take several breaks while cutting the grass to go and swim.

The lake had been a fascinating discovery when he first found the cottage. The only time he had ever really seen a lake was at Hogwarts, and the Black Lake wasn’t exactly a good representation for a muggle lake he found.

After about a month of living in the cottage, Draco finally had to go into town. He needed to figure out his food situation (having gone through what the old man left behind). It was in town that he found out he lived in Lancashire and that the reason so many sheep lived on his land was because he was technically supposed to be a sheep farmer.

But once someone in town told him that after a sheep’s wool was used up, farmers would kill them for their meat…he couldn’t. He wouldn’t.

So now he just grows wheat. And has tripled his original sheep count…

His favorite animal on his farm was actually his Highland Cows. He only had two, but he fell in love the moment he saw them. Their shaggy brown hair felt amazing to run his hands through and he liked the way they just kind of lounged about. The sheep always seemed to be moving and making sound. But the cows…the cows were perfect.

When he first got the land, he had one horse. It was a rather sad and old horse that didn’t really do much. Draco had always heard of muggles riding horses and decided he wanted to give it a try. Once he finally figured out how to grow wheat (after about six months of nearly starving from no money), he made a little bit of money and bought himself a horse. After many failed attempts, he learned to ride it and quickly fell in love. It reminded him of riding a broom. The way the wind whipped past him, the feeling in his heart when he went up on the horse, then crashed back down.

But by far, his absolute least favorite animal he owned were his goats. He hated their weird, dangly beards that reminded him of a certain deceased headmaster of his and their little beaty eyes. They were such odd creatures – they always seemed to end up in weird places around the farm and even though he never actually purchased any, more and more always seemed to arrive.

They only one he could tolerate was Billy.

Draco didn’t make it a habit of naming his animals. For one, he thought it was childish and for two, there were just too damn many of them. But he was in town one day and overheard people talking about billy goats. He mistakenly thought that was the name of a goat they were referring to and he liked it. He since has learned and corrected his mistake, but the name stuck for his Billy.

Billy is a Nigerian Dwarf kid that was born to one of his (apparently female) goats about two months ago. As soon as Billy could walk, he was attached to Draco. He follows Draco everywhere – even abandoning his own parents for the whole day at times. He sleeps outside the door of Draco’s cottage and Draco has even been known to let him in from time to time.

It’s a very odd relationship, Draco knows this. But still, it’s something. 

Draco’s life is what he would now call, comfortable. He doesn’t own much because he doesn’t need nor deserve much. There are times in which he reflects back on his past life and thinks about all of the material possessions he once owned. They were beautiful. But now, that feels like another time…another person.

Draco doesn’t trust comfort though. And as ‘comfortable’ as he would call his life, he actually knows its far from it. But he doesn’t deserve true comfort. He deserves the lumpy mattress he sleeps on, the way his cottage leaks when it rains and near freezes in the winter, and the grueling manual labor that goes into running a wheat farm by yourself (with absolutely no prior experience).

But living on a muggle farm in the middle of seemingly no where _does_ have it perks. The muggles in town have no idea who he is. To them, he’s simply a new farmer with a lot to learn. He goes by ‘Drake’ now because he quickly found that _that_ was a much more suitable name for a muggle apparently. But unless he is in town for supplies, they leave him alone.

The wizarding world does too. No one looks for him. No one has found him. And no one writes to him (likely because they have no earthly idea where he is). And at times, this saddens him. When he sees a large bird fly overhead while he’s out in his fields, he sometimes thinks it might be an owl. Maybe from Pansy, or Blaise, or someone… But it never is. And that’s okay. He doesn’t deserve friends.

Draco continues his work in his field out near his lake. He’s learned that there are much faster ways of cutting grass than this odd hand tool he purchased at a store in town (apparently, this is for trimming hedges), but he likes this method. It takes a long time and makes his day go faster, gives him something to do.

He is mid-snip when he hears a strange _pop_ come from behind him – not close, but not far neither. For a moment he strangely feels as though the _pop_ sounds familiar…almost like the sound of someone apparating… He doesn’t turn around. Instead, shakes the idea from his mind and continues cutting.

He’s wiping the sweat from his forehead with his spare towel he always brings when he hears it again. Another _pop_ – this one sounding much closer. He quickly decides to turn around and that’s when he sees it. Or sees… _him_.

Harry Potter. All five feet, eight inches of him. Messy black hair. And even though he can’t see it from this distance, he knows it’s there. The scar.

Harry doesn’t seem to have spotted Draco yet, but instead seems to be looking around in utter confusion.

_How on earth did he find me here…?_

Draco contemplates running but knows that will be obvious. He contemplates killing him but doesn’t have his wand and also understands that killing Harry Potter in the middle of a muggle farm in Lancashire is not the best option for him. It’s in his internal debate that Harry finally spots him.

Draco can’t see him clearly, but thinks he sees a sign of relief wash over his face as he begins to approach him. Draco doesn’t move. He knows he could at least meet the man halfway, but this is his farm and technically Potter is a trespasser, so why make things easy for him?

Harry’s face of relief seems to change to one of frustration the closer he gets to Draco. No doubt from being made to trek across the fields towards someone who is fully capable yet has no intention of meeting him hallway.

When he finally reaches Draco its as if neither of them knows what to say and Draco will be damned if he’s the first to speak.

“Draco?” Harry’s voice sounded…different? Deeper? More mature maybe?

“Yes…?”

Harry opened and closed his mouth several times before finally speaking. “I – I’ve been looking literally everywhere for you. I’ve been searching for _months!_ How in the hell did you end up in a place like this?!” Before Draco could comment, Harry was back at it. “And what the hell are you wearing?” Harry looked Draco up and down.

Draco looked down at himself in confusion. This is what he always wore…his tan work pants, a light button-up light blue shirt, and his work boots.

He didn’t know which question to answer first…so he decided to answer with a passive shrug.

“What the hell does that mean? Did you hear anything I said to you? I’ve been looking for you for ages!” Harry looked as if he was beginning to finally look around at his surroundings and take it all in. “And what the hell are you _doing_? Are those hedge clippers?”

Draco looked down at the clippers in his hand and shook his head. “Yes? I’m cutting my grass.”

Harry looked at Draco in disbelief. The two continued their staring contest and Draco decided to take this opportunity to finally look at Harry. The boy… _man_ looked different. His shaggy hair was cut much cleaner (albeit still a mess), he wore what looked to be auror robes, and Draco couldn’t help but notice he seemed to fill them out rather well.

“Draco!” Harry’s loud yell snapped Draco back to the matter at hand.

“Yes.” He knew he was being a prat but couldn’t help himself. He had no intention of answering this man’s questions.

“Has your memory been wiped or something? Confundused maybe?”

“No, my memory hasn’t been wiped or anything. You seemed to have found me, miraculously. Even though, I am a bit tickled that it took you so long. What is it that you want, Potter?”

Harry looked relieved that Draco was finally speaking. “I…We need to talk. It’s important.” Draco looked at Harry with fear in his eyes.

“Is it mother? Has something happened?”

“What? No, I – I don’t think so. She’s still at St. Mungo’s last time I checked.” Harry’s voice got softer and Draco couldn’t help but think about ‘ _last time I checked’._

“Oh – so…what?” Why in the hell was this man here then?

“You have to come back.” Draco stared at Harry and blinked his eyes a few times. Surely, he misheard the man.

“Goodbye Potter.” Draco turned to make his way back to his barn, but heard Harry following quickly behind him.

“Wait! Wait! Where are you going? Didn’t you hear me?! You have to come back with me.” Draco rolled his eyes and kept walking, increasing his pace as he went.

“Draco! Listen to me. We need to talk. Just…” Harry was running to catch up to him and when he did, grabbed his forearm. “Just stop.” Harry was out of breath from trying to keep up with the man and Draco felt oddly proud about that.

“Potter. I will not be going back. So, if that’s all you came here for. Then you can kindly leave.” Draco gave a fake smile and turned away once more. He decided to make his way towards his cottage instead of going towards his barn and quickly tossed the clippers on the porch. He heard a sound escape his stomach and quickly remember he skipped lunch and figured it must be getting close to dinner time.

“Draco! Listen to me!” Draco rolled his eyes once more and found Harry was still following him up to his door. He stopped just short of the porch and looked around at the house. “Is this…is this where you live?”

He didn’t appreciate the tone in Harry’s voice, “Yes? Sorry if it isn’t up to your standards Potter. But as I said before, you can be going.” Draco made his way inside and slammed the door before Harry could get in. He heard the man curse under his breath, then heard the familiar _pop_. He looked out his front window and saw that the man was gone.

Draco laid in bed that night, unable to sleep. Honestly, he hardly slept anymore anyway, but tonight, it wasn’t the war keeping him up. It was Harry. Stupid, arrogant, annoying Potter. Who the hell did he think he was? What gave him the right to come barging onto Draco’s property and demand he leave with him?

Draco rolled his eyes and stuffed his pillow over his head in an attempt to block out the dark-haired man. But the pillow didn’t stop the man from seeping into his dreams.

Draco awoke the next morning and recalled the dream from last night. He quickly remembered the events of the previous day and let out an audible groan. He dressed himself for the day and made his way into his kitchen to prepare his breakfast.

Later in the morning, he set out to work in the field. He was annoyed that he still had to go out and cut the grass but trudged his way out that way anyway. It wasn’t long before he heard the _pop_ again. Without even looking behind him, he yelled out, “Go away Potter.”

He heard the man’s footsteps coming up behind him and stayed focus on his grass and his clippers. When the man approached, Draco felt a shift in the atmosphere. There didn’t appear to be as much hostility exuding from the man today.

“You know there are better ways to do that right? Like, they make machines that will actually cut your grass for you? Non-magic machines.” Draco looked over and noticed the man wasn’t dressed in his auror uniform from yesterday and was instead in muggle jeans, a form fitting dark red t-shirt, and what looked to be shoes that were at least five years old or older.

“I’m aware, Potter. And if that’s all the advice you have for me, have a great day.” Draco turned back to his grass and continued cutting. He could feel Potter growing agitated next to him but refused to acknowledge it.

“Draco. Listen to me. We need to talk…” Harry’s voice was softer than yesterday – less demanding.

“And as I already said, Potter, I have no interest in talking with you. Much less going anywhere with you. So…” Draco looked up at Harry and met his eyes. “You can leave.”

Draco saw the way Harry’s face changed quickly into anger, “Ah! Why are you still such an arsehole?” and just like that, _popped_ away.

Draco smirked to himself. He knew Harry would be back, but it felt good to get him to leave so quickly this time. He finished his cutting, then made his way back to his barn to grab his feed. He made his rounds of feeding all of his animals, a task Billy loved to accompany him on.


	2. How are you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry returns to the farm and enjoys a meal with Draco...banter ensues.

Several days went by and no word from Potter.

When he worked in his fields, he thought on several occasions that he heard the familiar _pop_ , only to turn around and see nothing but his goats oddly lurking behind him. Draco was sure he would return. He even found himself almost…hoping he would.

This is the thought that pissed Draco off the most. No, he didn’t want Harry Potter to come back to _his_ farm where he had built a life for himself. No, he had no intention of leaving this place much less ever returning back to the wizarding world. And yet, he still felt his heart soar when he heard a _pop_ and deflate when he turned to see no one there.

It was just because he was so isolated, he told himself. I’m just…lonely or something.

But that doesn’t explain the small smile that crept upon his face when after a week of thinking he heard _pops_ , he actually heard one. And this time, when he turned around, Potter was there.

The day was winding down and night was quickly approaching. For a moment he wondered why Harry would choose to come now, but that thought soon fled when the man approached him.

“Draco.” Harry smiled a rather nice smile, but Draco could tell the man looked worn.

“Potter.”

“How are you?” Draco would be lying if he said he wasn’t taken aback by the question.

“Fine…?” He looked at the man in front of him with irritation and an eye roll. “Look Potter. We both know why you’re here. I’ve already said this before, but apparently you have short-term memory or something. I’m not leaving this place.”

Harry smiled and Draco quickly realized he did not like this smile. At all.

“I didn’t say anything about that. I’m merely here to check on you. See what you’re up to.”

Draco rolled his eyes, again. Okay, this is how the man wants to play this.

“I see…Well, here I am. You’ve checked.” Draco hadn’t seen this man in years and yet they fell right back into their natural rhythm. It was fascinating really how much some things don’t change. Even when others definitely do.

“Have you eaten?” Harry held up a bag that Draco hadn’t noticed before.

“No. I have food inside though…for dinner.” Draco knew this was a borderline lie. He was still struggling greatly, and food had taken a back seat to the expenses it took to run this place.

“Well, I brought food. I figured we could…eat. Together. Preferably inside.” Harry nodded towards Draco’s cottage.

Draco looked at the green eyes staring at him and something inside broke. He was rather hungry…

“Fine.” And with a roll of his eyes he stomped away, Harry following close behind. Even from in front of him, he could swear he sensed a smile enter the man’s face.

They approached the porch and started towards the door. Draco put his hand on the handle and took a deep breath. He was beginning to realize that no one other than himself or Billy had ever actually been inside… He swallowed any pride he had left and pushed the door open.

He tried to act nonchalant, taking off his boots and motioning around to show various areas. “That’s the kitchen, obviously. Dining area, living room, and back there is my bedroom and bathroom.” Draco tried his hardest not to look at Harry as the man looked around but couldn’t help it.

The man took his own personal tour of the house which only made Draco roll his eyes more. Of course Harry Potter feels entitled to walking around his house without permission.

When the man returned from the back he finally spoke, “It’s nice.”

That’s it? It’s…nice? Draco knew it wasn’t nice by any standards. That wasn’t the point. It was…functional.

“Thanks?” And there Harry was, smiling at him again.

He motioned towards his small dining table and Harry began to unpack the bag. There must have been a charm placed on it because the man just kept pulling out more and more food. Once it was all laid out on the table, there was no place for plates or utensils. Harry looked at Draco as though he was expecting him to do something about it and when he found no response, he flicked his wand and the table doubled in size and plates and utensils began to be laid out in front of them.

Draco made his plate and began to eat in silence. The way he preferred it.

“So…how’d you come to own a place like this?” Draco rolled his eyes.

So much for silence.

“Well, I didn’t kill a muggle for it, if that’s what you’re implying.” Draco barked back and felt foolish afterwards. Harry didn’t even _look_ like that’s what he was implying…

“No…it’s just…different for you. Just wondering how it happened.”

“Hmm well, why don’t you tell me why you decided to come so late in the day, rather than during your normal early mornings. Surely, you aren’t still on the clock at the Ministry.” Draco watched Harry get uncomfortable for a moment then bounce back.

“Ah – well, it was a rather…difficult day. It’s been a difficult week actually. Been hard to get away, you know?” Draco actually didn’t know. He didn’t know anything about the man in front of him actually. I mean, sure, he knows this man really well when you think about it. But he doesn’t know anything from the past couple of years. Was Harry Potter married? Did he marry the Weasley girl? Maybe Granger? No, Granger’s too smart for him… Did he have kids? He’s an auror, that’s obvious. But what about the rest of him?

“Draco…?” Draco looked up at the man and quickly realized he was supposed to respond.

“Right…well, they never said being an auror was easy work.” Draco tried to make his tone sound light, but it still came out cross.

“Yeah. That’s for sure. But it’s less about work and more…other stuff. I mean, don’t get me wrong. Work sucks. Being an auror is actually kind of awful…” Draco would have never thought Harry Potter, the Savior, would say something like that.

“Oh come on. Hunting bad guys? Saving the world? That’s your brand, Potter. That’s what you do.”

“That’s what I _did._ Because I had to. I never wanted to do any of that. And being an auror was just…a natural next step I guess?”

Draco had no idea how or even _if_ he was supposed to respond to that, so they continued their meal in silence. And Draco strangely enjoyed it. He liked having someone here to eat meals with, even if that someone was Harry Potter. He also appreciated that Harry didn’t seem to have any interest in bringing up the whole ‘you have to come back’ thing again. At least…not right now anyway.

The meal dragged on, Draco eating more than he had in two years. Night fell on the cottage and as he was about to get up to light candles, he watched Harry look up. And just like that, the lights in the cottage were on.

“Show off.” Draco rolled his eyes but felt a small smile creep upon his face.

Harry looked as though he was about to say something but was cut off by a loud thumping noise coming from the door.

“Um, Draco? Expecting company?” Draco didn’t like the way Harry smirked at that comment.

“Oh. That’s probably just Billy.” Now, that look. That’s the look Draco liked from Harry. One of shock.

“Oh…Billy. I-I’ll go…” Harry stood to leave, and Draco couldn’t help but laugh at the misunderstanding.

“He’s my goat, Potter. He’s kind of…attached to me. And it seems like it’s going to rain soon, so he’s probably just scared and wants to come inside.” Draco stood to let the goat in.

“You – you let your goat sleep inside?”

“Yes? He’s small, practically a baby.” Draco opened the door and Billy came flying in, cowering behind Draco as he did. He did a quick look around and made his way towards the bedroom to lay at the end of Draco’s bed.

“Well, Potter. That’s my cue. I trust you can see yourself out.” Draco motioned towards the door and was about to turn towards his bedroom when he heard Harry begin to speak.

“Actually…do you think I could stay here tonight? I’m exhausted. I can barely apparate properly on a good day. Apparating now might be a disaster.” Harry looked towards the fireplace, “Unless of course you have a floo…”. Draco gave him a look that screamed ‘you know damn well I don’t have a floo’.

“Well, then…can I stay?” The pitiful green eyes that looked up at him were nearly impossible to say ‘no’ to.

Draco debated with himself for what felt like several minutes. No one had been in his house, and now here Harry was, trying to stay over? What was he playing at? Was he going to kidnap Draco in the middle of the night?

“Fine. But all I have is the couch.” He pointed towards the ratty old sofa that had been left behind by the previous owner. “It’s not comfortable.”

Harry smiled and walked towards it. He moved his hand over the sofa and Draco watched in shock as he transformed it into a twin sized bed, equipped with pillows and blankets.

Draco rolled his eyes and made his way towards his room.

“Goodnight Draco” He heard Harry call out. He would not dignify that with a response.


	3. A Trip to Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry Potter is still at the farm when Draco wakes up...and now the man wants to help. Great...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Strong Language
> 
> Enjoy!

Draco awoke slowly the next morning after a rather decent night of sleep. Going to bed on a full stomach did wonders for your sleep, apparently. But as he awoke, smile plastered on his face, he slowly remembered…Potter.

Draco dressed himself more quickly than he ever would were it just himself and made his way into his living room.

He was not disappointed.

In his pathetic excuse for a living room, he found a blissfully asleep Harry Potter. The man had apparently stripped down to his underwear to sleep and haphazardly slept under only half of the blanket he had transformed for himself. Draco hated himself for looking, but honestly couldn’t help it.

The sun wasn’t quite up yet so the house still had a faint darkness to it. But even in the dark, Harry looked…beautiful. And peaceful. And…

Draco stopped himself. “You really have to interact with people more…” Draco cursed to himself under his breath before moving towards the kitchen. He hoped Harry was a hard sleeper because he had no intention of keeping himself quiet in his own house.

He prepared his usual breakfast, a cup of tea and a single egg. He had to admit that after last night’s feast, this breakfast seems awfully depressing. But just as he sat to eat, he heard a rustling coming from the make-shift bed in the living room.

And just like that, in walked a disoriented looking Harry Potter. His hair looked somehow worse than usual with half of it sticking up and the other half as flat as a board. He remained in his boxer briefs as he entered the kitchen and seemed to have no interest to clothe himself anytime soon. He yawned and stretched himself into the kitchen and looked at Draco in earnest.

Draco had no words to witnessing a nearly nude Harry Potter walking into his kitchen.

“Morning.” Harry let out amidst a yawn before sitting opposite Draco.

“Um – good” Draco had to clear his throat from whatever mess was trying to come out, “Good morning Potter.”

“So, what’s on the agenda for today?” Harry was slowly starting to wake up and reached for Draco’s kettle before grabbing the only other glass in the kitchen and sitting back down to pour himself tea.

“The agenda?” Draco watched Harry as he seemed to make himself at home.

“You know, your schedule for the day? What are you up to?”

“Oh – um…why?” Draco continued to watch as Harry took small sips of his tea while staring directly at Draco to ask his questions.

“Thought I might be of some help!”

Once again. There were no words.

Seeming to catch Draco’s lack of understanding or response, Harry continued, “Seems like it’s a lot of work for just one person to run this place by themselves. I noticed you don’t really use magic, so it must make things even more challenging. And…I have the day off! So…thought I could help.” The boyish grin that occupied Harry’s face should not have been as endearing as it was.

“I don’t use magic at all, Potter. And…I don’t really need your help.”

“Oh, come on. There must be something I can do. I have nothing else to do today and I’m already here” Harry waved his arms around the room as to suggest Draco had forgotten Harry Potter was sitting at his dining table, “might as well put me to use.” And the not-so-boyish grin that occupied Harry’s face now should not have been as attractive as it was.

Against his better judgement, Draco lamented. He offered Harry some of his clothes and the two made their way outside.

Once out, Draco could feel the way Harry was staring at him. It was almost as if he was studying him or waiting for him to do something, say something, or… something.

But Draco did nothing. He just stood there, like he did every morning.

“So…this is what we’ll be doing today? Standing here? Looking around at nothing?”

Draco rolled his eyes and shifted himself toward Harry, “No. I thought it would rain last night, so I’m checking to see if it did. That would adjust what we needed to do today. But looks as though the rain was light and therefore, we will continue with the original plan for today.”

Harry nodded his head as if to signal he understood, when clearly, he didn’t. “Okay – so what’s the original plan?”

“We are going to town.” And on that note, Draco marched right back inside and began to prepare his things to take into town with him. Harry followed behind in a confused shuffle.

The walk into town is really only about three miles, but with Harry along it felt much _much_ longer. The man insisted on talking and making what is usually a rather peaceful walk, nearly painful. Harry must have gotten the hint because he stopped a third of the way and they made the rest of the walk in silence.

When they entered town, Draco did as he always did. He put on his ‘Drake’ look. One that said, ‘I too am a muggle farmer, just like you’. He made his way towards the shops he needed – the feed store to gather more food for his sheep (typically, they ate his grass but he liked to buy them Alfalfa Pellets when he thought they deserved a treat), a new pair gloves, and he was in desperate need for some actual groceries.

After they gathered the treats for the sheep and his new gloves, they made their way towards the produce and vegetable stands. When Draco took out his reusable bag, he thought Harry was going to have a fit.

“Draco Malfoy uses a reusable, muggle shopping bag?!” Harry’s voice was far too loud and was bound to catch attention.

“It’s Drake when we are in town! And yes, how else do you expect me to get all of this home? And also, keep your voice down!” He quipped back at Harry who went back to silence.

The two made their way back to the farm and Draco would be a fool if he didn’t admit that two people carrying things back was much easier than just himself. Potter had actually come in handy today.

Mid-way through their walk, Harry decided to speak up. Much to Draco’s annoyance.

“So, the people in town really like you, huh?” Draco quickly turned his head towards the man with a confused look on his face.

“Potter. The people in town don’t know who I am. To them, I’m Drake the farmer down the road. That’s it.”

“No, I caught the way they look at you. I even heard some of the younger women talking about you when I waited for you outside the feed store. They think you’re handsome and…” Harry placed his index finger on his chin as if to signal he was thinking, but really Draco knew it was to pretend to be cute, “I think the word they used was…mysterious?” And there was that attractive, yet annoying grin again.

“They do not!” Draco bit back quickly.

“Trust me, Draco. They do.” Harry looked away and Draco had a faint smile cross his face. “You ever think about marrying one of them?”

The smile dropped from his face, “No. Potter, I don’t.”

“Oh come on. You must get lonely by yourself out here. You’ve already shattered any expectations that were set for you by coming out here in the first place. Why not take it one step further and marry a muggle woman? Some of them were quite fit. I mean, you basically live like a muggle anyway.” Part of Draco wanted to yell at Potter for making jokes at him, but the other part could tell that Harry was being oddly genuine. He actually thought this would be a good idea for him.

“Drop it, Potter.” Harry put his hands up as if to signal he was indeed ‘dropping it’. They continued the rest of the way in silence.

They had spent the better part of the day in town and returned in time for lunch. Draco and Harry dropped the items in the living room and Draco quickly began to put up his groceries. He prepared himself lunch before remembering Harry was still sitting at his kitchen table and began to prepare him a sandwich as well.

The two ate together and Draco once again found it refreshing to have a companion to eat with. Draco figured Harry must have sensed his earlier frustrations and started conversation about life on the farm and his animals. This was safe territory for Draco. Anything so long as it wasn’t about whatever Harry was really here for.

Draco answered most of Harry’s questions, bypassing the ones that got too personal or too close such as _why_ he came to the cottage in the first place. Draco even went so far as to ask after Granger and Weasley and found that they were actually married (not really surprising if he thought back on it). Harry wasn’t married nor did he have children. Draco didn’t trust the way his chest seemed to warm to this.

The two finished their meal and Draco began to clear the table and head back outside. He once again found Harry right behind him as he began to head out the door. Great, this was his life now.

Harry accompanied him as he made his way towards his barn to gather his tools. Billy, of course, was right on their heels.

“What are we doing now?” Harry’s enthusiasm for this work was getting borderline concerning.

“We are going to mend and paint the fence on the lower east side. One of my horses…kicked it over…” Draco looked down at the ground as he said this, mostly because it wasn’t true.

“Your horse…kicked over the fence? Just…kicked it?” Draco could tell Harry didn’t buy his answer.

“Fine. He didn’t exactly…kick it. More like, hit it. Or more like…I hit it…when I was on the horse.” Draco continued to look down at the ground.

“Draco.” Draco could hear Harry attempting to suppress a laugh as he spoke, “Did you get knocked off your horse trying to ride him and fall into the fence?”

Draco glared at Harry while answer, “Riding horses is difficult Potter! It isn’t just, get up on it and go! They can be…temperamental!” At this point, Harry was full-on laughing his ass off. Draco, annoyed, continued to gather his tools and stomp away towards the fence.

Harry followed suit, still laughing and still annoying the shit out of Draco.

They worked side-by-side for a majority of the afternoon. Sometimes in silence. Sometimes in mundane conversation. But it was half-way through the re-painting that Harry finally decided to speak about what he apparently came here to talk about.

“Draco…we still need to talk.” Draco shook his head as he felt a raindrop hit his nose. He looked up and noticed dark clouds starting to form.

“Actually, we don’t. What we need to do is get all of this back in the barn and head inside.” Draco started to pack up his materials and watched as Harry still stood there, brush in hand.

“Draco, we need your help. You have to come back.” Harry’s eyes stayed on Draco even as Draco attempted to continue to pack up and act as if he didn’t hear him.

“Listen to me.” Draco stopped and looked at Harry which proved to be a mistake because the man took it as an invitation to continue talking. “We-as you may or actually probably don’t know, the Ministry has been hunting down any remaining death eaters for the past two years. At this point, they’ve all been either incarcerated or…well, killed.” Draco winced at this thought but composed himself.

“Uh-huh, well Potter, I was cleared by the Ministry. You may remember. You were there.”

“No, Draco. This isn’t about you…well, it is. But not about you being in trouble or anything. You see, we thought we had found them all…that was until we realized that no one could account for one of them. Thorfinn Rowle.” Draco shivered at the name. He always hated that man. Of all the death eaters, Rowle for some reason lived with them at the Manor and always made Draco feel…uneasy.

“There’s been suspicious activity happening in small muggle areas in Scotland and Ireland. The work seems to be dark magic and we have reason to believe Rowle is gaining followers and attempting to terrorize local muggle villages.” Draco could see Harry’s passion as he spoke, but he wanted nothing to do with this.

The more Harry spoke, the harder the rain began to fall. Draco quickly finished packing up their items and started towards the barn. All the while, rain began to fall around them.

“Draco! Did you hear literally anything I just said? I need your help. You’re the only death eater that’s living and not incarcerated who could possibly tell us anything about this man.” Harry was walking quickly behind Draco and he could hear the sound of both of their sets of boots making splashes in the grass.

Draco stopped mid-way towards the barn and turned towards Harry, attempting to disregard the rain. “I see. And why on earth do you think I would have any information about this, Potter?! I’m a free man. I did some shit during the war, but I haven’t talked nor seen that man in over two years.” Draco’s voice grew louder and louder the more he spoke.

“But you knew him! We know he lived at the Manor!” Harry attempted to yell back, but Draco cut him off.

“This isn’t my concern Potter! That’s no longer my world!”

“I know you aren’t a death eater anymore. I know you probably never truly were…” Draco rolled his eyes at whatever pity Harry was about to throw at him.

“Not that world, Potter! The wizarding world! I live on a muggle farm! I don’t use magic! I raise goats for fuck’s sake! That isn’t my world! No one in the wizarding world needs me for anything, Potter. As evident by the fact that literally no one has bothered to look for me for the past two years.” The rain was pouring harder and harder and Draco noticed that Harry was inching closer and closer towards him as he spoke. “Oh – right, until Precious Harry Potter comes looking for me. But that’s because he bloody needs me to play detective and help him solve his pitiful case!”

Draco thought Harry might yell, hex him, or some combination of the two. At the very least he expected him to continue arguing. What he didn’t expect was for the man to move towards him in what looked to be an attempt to hug him.

Harry opened his arms and stepped towards Draco. But by this point, Draco was over all of this. He pushed the man back, hard. So hard he fell into the sopping wet ground, but Draco couldn’t be bothered to care.

“Fuck off Potter and leave me the fuck alone!” Draco turned towards his barn and stomped off. He didn’t hear steps behind him and when he looked back, Potter was gone.


	4. Stay

Stupid Harry _Fucking_ Potter.

It had been two weeks since Harry up and left. Draco went through all of the emotions he possibly could. First, there was anger. Anger at how dumb he was to actually believe…well, he didn’t know what he actually believed… but he was dumb for it! Second, there was frustration and confusion. Why would Harry possibly think Draco would or even _could_ help in this case? He had obviously escaped to the English countryside to live on a fucking farm. Why would he have any interest in this case?

Because he does.

He hates the idea that someone is out there still propagating all of the _shit_ Voldemort preached. But it’s to be expected, right? Just because Voldemort is gone, doesn’t mean his supporters just up and decided he was actually a bad guy. They weren’t all Draco. The rest of them, for the most part, _chose_ to be Death Eaters.

The third emotion hit several days after Harry’s departure. Sadness. Draco already knew he was lonely _before_ Harry even got to his farm. And while he had only spent a day with Draco, it was more social interaction than Draco had had in two years…

Draco knew it was unlikely that Potter would return, but he really did hope. Draco had been pretty…aggressive about the situation. Probably too aggressive when he thought back on it. But maybe he would still show up.

Draco spent his days trying to keep himself occupied. He fed his animals, swam in the lake, cut his grass, and ventured in to town. He was in the middle of doing one of his favorite activities, brushing his horse, when he heard it.

_Pop._

A very disoriented Harry Potter apparated almost right next to Draco. Any closer and he would have landed on him.

“Shit!” Harry yelled when he landed and realized how close the two were. “Sorry…I’m terrible at apparating and this farm is huge. I never know where I’m going to land…” Harry looked over at a startled Draco.

Draco couldn’t muster up words in the moment and continued to stare at Harry, who was growing noticeably uncomfortable.

“Um…hi.” Harry let out while Draco continued in his silence.

Harry backed away to a comfortable distance and looked at Draco. Draco took this moment to look Harry over, noticing the dark circles around his eyes and the stubble that had gathered around his face. Harry looked handsome (as he always did), but exhausted.

“Hi.” Was all Draco would allow himself to let out. He knew there was so much more to say to the man, probably a ‘sorry’ for starters, but it wasn’t coming.

“We…we caught him. Rowle, that is.” Draco began to nod slowly as Harry continued. “We were able to infiltrate the small group he had formed and took him down outside a muggle house near Cambridge. It was…brutal. But fortunately, no lives were lost.”

“That’s…great? I’m glad you were able to find him.”

“I…I wanted to say that I’m sorry.” Draco looked at the man before him with a confused look on his face. Shouldn’t _he_ be the one apologizing? He shoved the man into the ground… “I’m sorry for pushing you so much to come back and help.”

“Oh. Um, right. Well…I’m sorry too. You know, for…pushing you, physically…and telling you to ‘fuck off’.” Draco watched as Harry smirked and returned the look.

“I actually have to tell you something…” Harry looked down at the ground and Draco grew concerned.

“I actually had ulterior motives in coming here…” Harry seemed to be refusing to look up, finding fascination with a pebble on the ground and kicking it back and forth between his two feet. “It would have been nice to have your help on the case, but I wasn’t actually sent here by the Ministry or Auror Department. I had been…looking for you for a while.” On the last words, Harry looked up at Draco’s confused face and let out a small laugh.

“Well, don’t look so surprised. I had been…thinking about you…I guess. I started looking for you about six months after the trial. I literally looked everywhere…asked everyone I could possibly think of. And when no one had seen or heard from you, I was…worried.”

Draco couldn’t actually believe what he was hearing. Harry Potter had been (what sounded like) the only person looking for him. He was…worried about him?

“Why…” Draco could tell his voice was soft and cleared his throat, “…why were you looking for me?”

Harry smiled. “I wasn’t sure at first…People told me I was crazy. That I had another obsession or something.”

“Another? You’ve been obsessed with me before?” Harry gave an expression of disbelief.

“Sixth year? Or at least, that’s what Hermione and Ron would call it. They thought I was obsessed with you because of how much I followed and talked about you.”

“Ah – well, at least then it was with good reason, huh?” Draco wanted to smile but couldn’t while thinking back on that year.

“Maybe. But the more I looked for you this time, the more I had to really think about why I was doing it… So, when this case came up, I thought it would be a good opportunity. If I did find you, I could ask for your help. And then maybe you’d come out of hiding and…back to…” Draco thought for a moment Harry was going to say ‘me’, but quickly changed his mind. “…the wizarding world.”

“But that still doesn’t answer the question. Why were you looking for me to begin with?” Harry looked around the farm and set his eyes on Draco’s cottage. He motioned with his hand as if to ask for them to go inside and Draco nodded. The two walked towards the cottage and inside in silence. Draco watched as Harry sat on the sofa, seemingly too comfortable with the act.

Draco sat on the end of the sofa, at the moment, wishing it was larger so they wouldn’t feel so close for this conversation. Draco looked at Harry and waited for him to continue.

“I…” Harry started but stopped immediately. Draco waited for him to go on and watched as Harry seemed to grow uncomfortable before taking a deep breath and looking like his confidence was re-sparked. “I’ve thought about ‘Draco Malfoy’ probably every day for as long as I could remember.”

Draco’s eyes went wide but he stayed silent.

“Granted, most days it was pretty negative. Especially in the beginning…those first few years at Hogwarts were nothing but thinking about how terrible you were.” Draco’s heart dropped but who was he kidding – he was terrible.

“I see…” Draco couldn’t find any other words in the moment. But honestly, he didn’t see. Where was Potter going with all of this?

“I’m not exactly sure when it changed. I’ve been trying to think about that for a while now and my best guess is sixth year. When I saw you in the bathroom…” Harry looked back down at his hands and Draco felt an uncomfortable tension fill the air.

“I regret using that spell every single day. I didn’t even know what it would do…Not that that’s an excuse or anything. I just…I don’t think I intentionally wanted to hurt you. And when I saw you lying there…” Harry cleared his throat and Draco thought he could see tears forming in his eyes. “I thought about you while I was away seventh year. And when we met again at the Manor…I was so relieved to see you, but I didn’t know why. Part of me was glad you were alright. Then the fire…” Harry didn’t look at Draco, which made him glad. He didn’t want to have to deal with those emotions right now. “All of the commotion of the battle and the trials and just…everything. It was a lot at the time.”

Draco stayed silent, truly unsure of what he could possibly say at this point. Harry looked back at him and continued. “After everything kind of settled…you re-entered my thoughts. Or, well, continued to be in my thoughts? I don’t know…it’s weird to think that, but I know it’s true.”

Draco finally found words in his head and he couldn’t just sit here and listen to Harry ramble any longer. “Potter…where is all this going? What are you trying to say…?”

“Right. Um, I think…I think I like you Draco. I think I have for a _very_ long time…” Draco couldn’t stop his eyes from growing wide again and he let Harry’s word sink in. “And it’s okay if you don’t feel the same or whatever! I mean, I know it’s crazy and kind of out of the blue and…yeah, well, I don’t even know if you like guys so…” Harry was rambling at this point and Draco wasn’t sure what to say.

Draco cleared his throat and decided to just let the words flow. “I – I do…like guys, that is. Um, I….” Draco was stumbling over the words he thought would simply ‘flow’ out. “I’m not sure what to say…”

“And that’s okay! You don’t have to say anything! I just…I just wanted you to know…”

Silence hung in the air for several minutes while Draco composed his thoughts. Harry Potter…liked guys. Harry Potter liked…him. He started thinking more about it. It just didn’t make sense…he and Harry hated each other. They always had…right?

Well, no. Actually, he never hated Harry. He envied Harry, he was infuriated by Harry (at times), he (though he would never admit it) admired Harry, and he…found Harry attractive.

He had known that for a very _very_ long time…

But did he like him? Like… _that?_

Draco laughed out loud to himself because of course he did. He had probably liked Harry for way longer than he could care to admit.

Draco noticed the laugh caught Harry off guard and was now wearing a concerned face.

“I like you too.” Draco let out and let the words hang in the air.

Harry waited several seconds before responding, and even when he did – it wasn’t with words. He moved towards him and closed the small distance that sat between them. He pressed his lips to Draco’s and wrapped one hand around his head. Draco tried to fix his shock and respond back, and quickly found himself pressing back against the man on his sofa.

Harry pulled back quickly. “Sorry…that was…forward.”

Draco smiled, “It’s okay.” Harry returned the smile, but then Draco watched it fade.

“Draco…why did you leave…?” Draco forgot for a moment where they were and broke away from the green eyes staring at him.

“Oh…that’s a complicated question, Potter.”

“Really…still with the Potter? And I can handle complicated.”

Draco smiled and corrected himself, “Well, _Harry_ , after I left Azkaban things were quite different as you probably know. My father was in prison, my mother was…not well, and I just…couldn’t be there anymore. I didn’t…deserve to be there anymore.” Draco got quiet on the last words.

“What do you mean ‘deserve’? Are you saying you left and came here because you felt it was what you ‘deserved’? Some sort of punishment?”

Well, guess it wasn’t that complicated after all. Draco nodded in affirmation.

“Draco! That’s ridiculous! You may have done some bad things, but you aren’t a bad person. Trust me, I know bad people. I killed one and I’ve been hunting them for the past two years. I wouldn’t have spoken for you if I thought you were a bad person.”

Draco tried to listen to Harry as he spoke but kept wanting to fight back against him. He knew he wasn’t a good person. It was stupid to think he was.

“Draco…are you listening to me? Look at me.” Draco hadn’t even noticed he had looked down until Harry was coaxing his chin up. He met Harry’s green eyes and immediately felt his heart melt.

“Harry…I…no one even cared where I was.” Draco had to correct himself, “except for you, apparently.” And allowed himself to smile. “So…no, I don’t think I’m a good person. This is where I needed to be. Where I belonged. Away from all of it…”

“Draco, I understand wanting to get away. Trust me…I really do. But you’re wrong. I talked to everyone I possibly could. Your mother, Blaise, Greg, Pansy, Theo…everyone I could find who might know where you were. They all were concerned. They had all been writing to you but said their owls just kept coming back. Your mother is doing better and just kept asking for updates every time I went to visit her. There are people that care about you Draco…”

Draco could feel his eyes becoming watery. He always thought people had moved on. Forgotten about him… He looked around at his cottage and noticed that it was beginning to grow dark outside. Harry must have noticed this too.

“Draco, we can continue this conversation tomorrow if you’d like.” Draco nodded. It was all just a bit much to take in. Harry got up and started to make his way towards the door.

“Would you…would you want to stay?” Harry looked back from the door to Draco with a wide smile on his face.

“Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter will be a super short epilogue to wrap up the farm and the story!


	5. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a short epilogue to wrap-up the story, hope you enjoyed! Kudos and comments always welcome!

Harry stayed that night and every night after for the next two weeks.

They did end up talking the next day and every single day after. It took Draco the next two weeks to fully come to terms with everything.

Harry desperately wanted Draco to move back to the wizarding world. He even wanted Draco to come and move in with him, which Draco said sounded like such a ‘Harry Potter’ thing to immediately suggest they live together so soon. 

But Harry also understood the importance of the farm to Draco. So, he agreed to long-distance. Harry would come and stay weekends with Draco on the farm, and the work week back at his own house.

After about six months of this, Draco knew they would need more. He started talking to people in town about his situation, saying ‘he had to return home to take care of family’, which honestly wasn’t a lie because his mother was doing much better now and was set to be released from St. Mungo’s soon.

Not too long after, he found another farmer in town who was interested in buying the farm from Draco. He even agreed to let Draco come around every now and then to say ‘hello’ to the animals.

On the day Draco was set to leave, Harry came and surprised him on a Tuesday. He took the day off saying he knew Draco would need someone with him. And Draco did. He cried harder than he had at any point in the past two years. Possibly harder than he even did the first night he stayed on the farm. It took him so long to leave because he went up to each and every animal he had to say a personal goodbye.

But he also knew, it was the right step. He wanted to get back to magic, to his family, to his friends…to Harry.

It’s been five years and he and Harry live together at Grimmauld Place. They moved his mother in a year ago when her health started to fall again on the pretense that they needed extra help with the kids.

They have two – Scorpius and James. Twins.

The Weasleys had strangely took him in as family. It took a while for them to come around, but when they did, Draco quickly realized why Harry loved them so much. Being an only child, Draco had never experienced a family quite like this. There was so much love in that house… even with a person missing.

Draco didn’t think they would ever take him in after some of the terrible things he said to them. But Arthur and Molly chalked it up to him being young and impressionable and quickly forgave.

Ron was Harry’s best man at the wedding, with Ron and Hermione’s daughter, Rose, as their flower girl.

When the twins were born, via surrogate, Molly Weasley cried.

Everyone in the Weasley family cried... Draco knew it was all for various reasons. 

It took a while for Molly to _not_ cry when they brought the boys over, but soon, she took them as if they were her own.

Draco still keeps in close contact with the man who bought his farm. He takes the boys over at least once a month to play with the animals, especially Billy’s new-born.


End file.
